


What is it you do here, again?

by Angsthase (Angsthase_mtg)



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Dimir, Ravnica, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 14:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19747303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angsthase_mtg/pseuds/Angsthase
Summary: With a new Guildmaster in Dimir, Judith is asked to explain what exactly her role in the guild is.





	What is it you do here, again?

**Author's Note:**

> This story is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Judith stepped into the Dimir safe house, pushing back a hood that was dripping from rain. If she had been able to walk directly from New Prahv to the safehouse, she would have missed most of the rain, but discretion had demanded she stop at the market. At least the sudden downpour would have explained her sudden dash for the doorway. Why it was imperative that she meet with her mentor today, when she already had an appointment scheduled to support the grant application in New Prahv, she did not know. Nor would she, she supposed, unless it was necessary. The ethos of Dimir was to gather information everywhere, except within Dimir itself.

All the wards were in order, as she entered the house. It was occupied, but everybody present has authenticated themselves to the spells even as she did. She let herself into the kitchen and started the familiar rituals of making a cup of tea. As the scent of ginger and spices filled her nostrils, she allowed herself to unlock memories of other times she had performed this action, in this place, and with them the memories of her mentor. She would have recognised Theren's copper skin and dark curls in the street, of course, as a vague acquanitaince . . . but all the details of their interactions had been sealed away until this safe and appropriate time to remember. Feeling his familiar mind entering behind her, she turned with a smile.

The elf was not alone.

This itself was not worrisome, nor even unusual. Theren had often introduced her to young mindmages, placing them in her care for training and development. What was strange was that the other's mind was so quiet as not to be there at all. She sent her own mind out in a gentle probe, and it slid off as if there were nobody there at all. Even illusions had mind to them -- a crude one, with no thoughts beyond what they needed to do and say -- but not this slippery emptiness.

"Theren," she said warmly, accepting her friend and mentor's warm embrace. "Honoured guest. Would you like some tea?"

The stranger smiled wryly at the question, though whether at being considered a guest or at the domesticity was unclear.

"Thank you, Judith," her mentor said. "You won't remember meeting Master Laz, of course."

"Of course," Judith said, bowing her head. There were many things one didn't remember in Dimir.

"I'll make sure of that," Theren added, and that part was a surprise. It had been decades since Judith hadn't been trusted to edit her own memories. Not that it was a problem -- she knew Theren's touch of old, delicate as a butterfly's wing and sharp as a surgeon's scalpel -- but change was something of which she was trained to be aware. A marker of increased significance.

Theren seated Master Laz at the table and helped Judith carry over three mugs of tea, sweet and hot. Judith's woollen dress and loose grey bun were still damp from the rain, though Theren and Master Laz were completely dry; they must have entered using underground pathways. The heavy clay mug was warm and soothing between her fingers; she stilled her mind and sipped tea, content to wait until her superiors -- for Master Laz was clearly that -- chose to speak to her.

"You are very patient," the stranger remarked, after she had finished half the mug.

"It can be an asset in my line of work," Judith said mildly.

"Running a day camp for children?"

"Working with children can be quite an exercise in patience," Judith agreed.

"One wonders," said Master Laz, "Why a Dimir Spymistress would spend most of her time co-ordinating a summer camp experience for children."

Judith looked at Theron, who nodded.

"Have you ever had children, Master Laz?"

He stared steadily at her, until Judith decided to try another tack.

"Most guilds," Judith explained, "view children as their future, and keep them close to parents in order to both guide and guard them."

Master Laz nodded for her to continue.

"They keep the children always close, so cease to be aware that the children are listening as they speak. The children may repeat even what they do not understand."

"So Theren told me," Master Laz remarked. "It seems a large investment for such an incidental return."

"Not that much investment, any more," Judith said. "Our operating costs are mostly covered by grants from Azorius, and Selesnya lets us space at a reduced cost."

Azorius," Master Laz repeated.

Judith glanced at Theron. "I told you I had that meeting at New Prahv today; it was to finalise the grant for next year. The tedious Zone of Truth examination to make sure funds were properly allocated, since that uproar about them giving Urban Renewal grants to a Gruul clan the other year.

"Zone of Truth," Master Laz repeated flatly. "How did _that_ go?"

"It was fine," Judith shrugged. "Azorius loves to see people jump through their hoops."

"And they didn't ask about guild affiliation?" Master Laz seemed skeptical.

"Of course they did," Judith said.

"Show me," Master Laz demanded.

Judith bowed her head and drew the memory out as a strand, a ribbon of thought that she coiled and passed to the man calling himself "Master Laz".

> You stood in a courtroom, at the centre of the inlaid circle that marked the borders of the Zone of Truth. Behind you, other applicants waited in the spectators' gallery; a group of three Azorius functionaries forming the Grant Review Board occupied the judge's bench, and the Azorius Guildmage maintaining the spell sat in the usual box nearby. You had already verified the expense estimates, and were now explaining to the bureaucrats the selection process for attendees.
> 
> "When we say children, we mean just that," you were saying. "Different races, and even different children, can mature at different rates, so setting a range of years would be unjust. We don't accept infants, who still need assistance in feeding and toileting, because they couldn't participate fully in the program. Adolescents, who have already hit puberty, have different needs for independence that we're not set up to accommodate."
> 
> The bureaucrat on the end hrmphed, then questioned, "You claim that one of the benefits of your camp is the emphasis on diversity. Can you explain that?"
> 
> "Diversity is so important," you said earnestly. "In each session, we make sure to have at least one child from each of the nine guilds, and one guildless child. The other ten places are also allocated to make sure we have a diverse group. Having all, or even mostly, human attendees would reduce what the children could learn from one another. By playing and learning with different people in the same environment, children become more aware of how common rules can apply to everybody to make the world run smoothly and fairly."
> 
> "You don't claim any guild affiliation for your organisation," the centre functionary said. "Or yourself?"
> 
> You laughed in a self-deprecating manner, "I'm sure no guild would claim me."
> 
> "Don't sell yourself short, Mistress Pollifax," the one on the end replied. "I'm sure you could find a place in Azorius, or perhaps Selesnya, with the work you do.
> 
> ""Still, I find it easier to do my work outside the structures of a single guild," you tell them. "If I were affiliated with any one, others would be less comfortable enrolling their children, and that would defeat the purpose."
> 
> The centre official looked at each of the others, but there were no more questions.
> 
> "Very well," he said. "We'll let you know our decision within ten business days. Thank you for taking the time to attend this hearing."
> 
> You bowed your head humbly as they called the next organization's representative, and backed away. They'll send the official verdict in the time specified, but you already knew the answer. Scanning surface thoughts is one of the easiest applications of mind-magic, and each of them supported the work they believe you do.

The man at whom Judith was not looking too closely grunted. "Clever," he allowed.

"Knowing the rules grants freedom to operate within them without question," Judith told him, one of the first lessons she taught any of the young mindmages she was asked to train. "Zone of Truth requires all statements be truthful, not complete. And Azorius is so poor at speaking concisely themselves that it comes as a relief when somebody else is to the point."

"Theren tells me that in addition to this camp project," the man stated, "You do an excellent job of bringing along young mind-mages. Why do you waste your time on children's gossip rather than working more with our newer members?"

"On the contrary, the camp is an integral part of training the mind-mages I'm given. For the true beginners, learning to filter twenty excited minds for relevant information is invaluable. Most Dimir work of which I'm aware is conflict-averse; being aware of their surroundings and the currents in the minds around them in order to prevent and resolve childish disagreements prepares them to avoid conflict when they do other work later." Judith considered her phrasing a moment. "Once they have a bit more experience, we allow them to interface with the parents at pick-up time. Tell the parents how the day went, find ways to praise the children's development in ways that are meaningful to the parents, and . . . see if the parents have anything on _their_ minds."

"Hmmm," Master Laz said, beginning to see. "And how often is that useful?"

Judith shrugged and looked at Theren. "I pass the information on; I don't track what is done with it afterwards."

Theren agreed, "Sometimes we will have her plant specific questions, but generally it's a harvest of serendipity . . . but several significant missions have gone more easily because of camp parents' concerns, over the last forty years."

"Very well," said Master Laz, catching Judith in a shrewd gaze. "Given your long service and great success, what do you think House Dimir should do with you? Do you deserve a higher position in the guild, do you think?"

"Moving to a new position always requires a period of adjustment" Judith said plainly, "and I'm an old woman. I've worked hard to build what I have, and to watch it function to the benefit of the children as well as Dimir is all I ask."

"You're not that old, surely," Master Laz objected. "Not more than what, seventy?"

"Sixty-three," Judith corrected. "Humans are a fast-lived race, and rarely pass a century."

"Seems a waste," Master Laz mused.

Judith shrugged, "Perhaps so, though I prefer not to think of myself that way."

"Of course, of course," murmured the man. "Still, I think we're done here."

"Orders, my lord?" prompted Theren.

"As she suggested," the man smiled in what was probably meant to be a charming manner. "She is to keep doing what she's doing. We'll see about moving an aide and eventual successor into place, soon, so we don't lose what she's built if she should die in the next few decades." He nodded to himself,"You finish up with the camp woman; I'll see myself out."

* * *

The tea was gone. The stranger was gone. Theren looked at Judith, and offered an arm.

"Shall we retire somewhere more comfortable, my lady?" he asked gallantly.

Judith laughed, but took his arm. If they had ever been lovers, it had been long ago, before he had been above her in the organization, back when it was safe to remember him between meetings.

They settled in the lounge, with its comfortable sofas, his hand on her shoulder and his on her knee.

"What do you think of him?" Theren prompted.

"Eh," said Judith. "I don't think he really understands. He didn't see the way it builds connections with other guilds and gives us, if not control, _awareness_ of the connections between them. It's subtle. I don't think he was in the mood for subtle."

"He may have seen more than you think," Theren allowed. "He's a busy man, but he insisted that my explanation was inadequate, he needed to hear it from you. I don't think he'd have spent that time if he didn't expect profit from it."

"You won't tell me who he was, of course," Judith said.

"I would have thought you would have guessed," Theren smiled.

"I try not to, any more," Judith said tiredly. "The fewer connections one makes, the less collateral damage one has to do to excise a memory."

"Well," Theren nodded, "congratulations. You've just met the new guildmaster of House Dimir."

"Oh," said Judith faintly.

"And talked yourself out of a position in his inner circle," Theren added.

"You think so?"

Theren nodded.

"Just as well," Judith sighed. "I meant what I said. I'm where I belong already; we do good work, and it prepares the counsellors you lend me for more kinds of work in the future."

"Does that bother you?" Theren asked, reaching up to stroke her hair, disrupting the bun at the nape of her neck. "That your students go on to do different work, after you?"

Judith reached up to release the bun before he destroyed it entirely. "Not really. I'm not cut out to do wet work, but I know others do it. I don't slaughter the meat for my table, either. I'd like to avoid unnecessary suffering, but the best way to do that is to give those who need them the tools to do their work efficiently."

Theren smiled, massaging her scalp and gently pulling her to rest against his shoulder. "I do miss you," he said.

"I wish I could miss you. But we both know that as long as I'm in the field, it's necessary."

"And you just ensured you'll be in the field until you die," Theren said sadly. 

"It's where I belong."

"Maybe." He stroked her hair gently. Judith took the time to just rest against him, basking in the rarely remembered friendship.

"It's time to clean up," she said, finally, and he couldn't disagree. She deliberately lowered her defenses, leaving herself open to him.

His mind slipping into hers was deft, almost cool as it flowed over hers. Judith knew, perhaps more than anyone, how easy it would be for him to simply have her heart forget to beat, allow her to slip into death before she knew it had happened, but the cool touch of his mind on hers passed lightly over her brainstem.

"Not this time," Theren reassured her quietly. "Just allow your mind to drift back over today, to memories of the guild master."

His work was fine, delicate. She could feel pieces slipping away, leaving only vagueness in their place. There was a meeting. It went well. Her superiors were pleased with her. She couldn't even feel the edges of the excised memories.

"You always were good at that," she told him, eyes still half-closed as she rested against his shoulder.

"You're quite good, yourself. Thank you for allowing me to assist you, tonight." He kissed her forehead gently and slipped off the sofa. "I'll leave you, now. Be safe, heading home."

"Be safe," she told him, beginning the process of sequestering the memories of her friend once more.

* * *

Judith let herself back into the street, glad the rain had stopped while she was inside. Although she didn't remember quite what had happened while she was inside, or whom she had met, that was to be expected. Judith threaded her way through city streets and home to her empty apartment, satisfied with her place in the world. It was lonely, sometimes, but there was much good in her life, and she had secured funding for another year of camp.

It was enough, Judith thought. It was enough.


End file.
